Neural Characteristics of Affectionate Communicators: Trait Affection and Asymmetry in the Prefrontal Cortex

by Lewis, Robert Joel

Abstract (Summary)

Individual differences in thresholds for affectionate communication should be
reflected by differences in neurological structure and function. A theoretical schema from
several overlapping literatures including evolutionary psychology, social neuroscience,
fundamental personality, and communication are examined to make the case that highaffection
communicators have greater relative electrical activity in the left prefrontal
cortex (PFC) versus the right PFC reflected in asymmetrical baseline EEG recordings.
Participants (N=16) reported trait-affection levels using Floyd’s (2002) TAS-G, which
measures an individual’s threshold for expressing affection. Participants’ baseline
electrical activity was then recorded. Asymmetry was operationalized as the difference
between microvolt (µV) values of laterally opposed electrode clusters thought to measure
PFC activity. Correlations and a discriminant analysis are consistent with the hypothesis
that high-affection communicators have greater relative left PFC activity than less
affectionate communicators. Using this sample, data indicate that sex also covaries with
asymmetrical processing. Possibilities for further investigation and weaknesses of the
current study are discussed in detail.
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